West Morris Central girls volleyball team wins crown

WASHINGTON TWP. – The West Morris girls got their wish … and
their dream, too.

After falling to Northern Highlands a year ago in the Group 3
finals, the Lady Highlanders wanted another shot. While they would
have played whoever was across the net from them on Saturday in the
Group 3 championship at William Paterson University, they were
happy to see those other Highlanders make it through their side of
the bracket.

For one game and the first part of the next, it appeared the
script was headed for a repeat of last year. But West Morris
rallied, and won its first-ever volleyball group title, beating
Northern Highlands 18-25, 25-20 and 25-17.

“You know what, to be honest with you, we wanted Northern
Highlands,” said West Morris head coach Beth Grasso. “We were
pulling for them. Last year, we played so badly against them in the
second game and we wanted to go back and play that game
(again).”

James Madison-bound Kelly McGuire had a huge match with 15 kills
and a pair of blocks, while Jessica Uphoff recorded 16 assists.

But it was the energizing presence of Morgan Blair and Morgan
Cross that may have made the difference, said Grasso, whose
Highlanders improved to 29-2 and will take on undefeated
Bridgewater on Saturday in the Tournament of Champions. Blair had
10 kills and three blocks.

“Morgan Blair had the match of her life,” Grasso said. “She came
in with energy and confidence and she found open shots.”

It was Cross whose took over at the service line with her team
down a game and trailing 5-1 in the second. She proceeded to run
off eight consecutive points and West Morris never again trailed in
the contest. West Morris’s run ended on a block that went out of
bounds, but three kills by Blair had West Morris up 13-10. Northern
Highlands tied the game at 14, but West Morris won six of the next
eight points, including another Blair kill and a Jackie Falzarano
dink into the open court that put West Morris up 20-16.

Three straight Northern Highlands points narrowed the lead to
one, but three errors and a stuff block by Blair had West Morris on
the verge of tying the match. They finally did on a Northern
Highlands service error that knotted things up at a game
apiece.

“The second game, we made a few adjustments,” Grasso said. “I
thought Morgan Cross coming in and serving like she did when we
were down was just critical. I thought that was the turning point.
We were back on our heels in the second game. We kind of knocked
them back on their heels.”

Though Northern Highlands raced out to leads of 3-1 and 4-2 in
the final game, a Maguire kill following a great save by Falzarano
finally out West Morris ahead for good at 6-5.

A pair of kills and a stuff block by Blair had West Morris
rolling along and, after a diving one-arm save near the net by
Emily Frisch resulted eventually in a Northern Highlands kill
error, West Morris led 11-7. Northern Highlands reeled off three
straight, but a three kills by Maquire over a five-point span gave
West Morris a 16-12 lead.

A Falzarano block and her winner into the open court pushed that
advantage to 19-12. Blair had two block winners to make it 23-15,
and West Morris closed it out with one final kill by Blair and a
service winner by Alisa Ryncarz.

The opening game was a back-and-forth affair until Northern
Highlands began to pull away with a five-point run midway in that
gave them a 19-12 lead.

“I’m proud of the way they came back today,” Grasso said.
“(Northern Highlands) has a lot of weapons. They’re a very good
team. That made it even sweeter.”

Cansu Kazancioglu recorded 16 kills to lead Northern Highlands,
which finished the season 18-9.

Baffuto had 13 assist, Blair had three blocks and Cross added 10
service points. Falzarano recorded four kills, a block and an ace,
and Uphoff added three kills to go along with her 16 assists.

Maguire, who was injured in the contest, may miss the
Bridgewater game, though Grasso said she’d know more by the end of
the week.

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